As the world's only independent ASME certified flow laboratory, the National Board Testing Laboratory, located north of Columbus, remains the leader in promoting accurate performance measurement of pressure relieving devices and the development of technical standards.

The principle roles of the laboratory are to:

Evaluate the performance and relieving capacity of safety valves.

Support industry research and development efforts by testing new design concepts.

Serve as the companion standard for other laboratories.

Validate new concepts for industry technical standards.

To verify compliance with a variety of construction standards and specifications, pressure relief device testing is conducted on a regular basis for manufacturers, assemblers, and repair organizations located around the world. The laboratory’s testing methods, procedures, equipment, and personnel meet internationally-recognized standards.

The main area of the National Board Testing Laboratory contains three test systems using steam, nitrogen, and water. Each system features the following:

Steam

Air

Water

Media

Dry Saturated Steam

Compressed Nitrogen

Ambient Temp. Water

Maximum
Source Pressure

850 psi
(58 bar)

3,500 psi
(238 bar)

625 psi
(43 bar)

Flow Measurement
Method

Timed Weight Method

Sonic Flow Nozzle
and
Sharp-Edged
Orifice Plate

Sharp-Edged
Orifice Plates
and
Timed
Weight Method

Maximum Stamped Set Pressure

500 psi (34 bar)
4" (DN 100)

Low

Medium

High

500 psi (34 bar)
4" (DN 100)

580 psi (39 bar)
6" (DN 150)

1,100 psi (75 bar)
4" (DN 100)

2,025 psi (138 bar)
3" (DN 80)**

Maximum Stamped Flow Capacity

16,000 pph
(7,257 Kg/h)

13,000 SCFM
(22,087 m3/h)

15,000 SCFM
(25,485 m3/h)

5,000 SCFM
(8,495 m3/h)

550 gpm
(2,082 L/min)

**Valve orifice diameter must be less than or equal to 1 inch (applies to high pressure air system only)

Data Acquisition
A computer-based acquisition system is available to electronically capture the best data for flow computation and analysis.